It was week three of the JCC of Bayonne’s Indoor Flag Football Jr. Division and the Jets (0-2) were still in search of their first victory as they face the Bears (2-0-1). The Jets got on board first when Brian “Hot Wheels” Pipher blazed wire-to-wire for a TD, giving the Jets a 6-0 lead. After giving up on quick score, the Bears’ league-leading defense settled in as Matt Miceli, Ryan Griffin, Victor Mendolaro and Akshat Thakur attacked the Jets like heat-seeking missiles. With their defense sured up, the Bears’ offense got on track as Alejandro “See Ya” Cifuentes zipped in for a TD and two-point dash, making it 8-6, Bears. Miceli and the maulers, Griffin, Mendolaro and Thakur, helped the Bears’ cause when they made it 10-6 by forcing a safety.

Trailing by four, the Jets’ defense stonewalled the Bears, forcing a three and out as Devin Herring, Thomas Canela and Josh Belber ballhawked like pros. At halftime, it was still anyone’s game to win but the Bears began to pick up the pace on both sides of the ball. First, Drew Radil sprinted 13 yards to paydirt to make it 16-6, Bears, which was followed two plays later by Drew Radil’s leaping interception. The interception at halfcourt helped to set up Michael “The Motor” Egan’s 20-yard court-torching TD run. Leading 22-6, the Bears’ Alejandro Cifuentes made it 24-6 with a driving two-point grab. The Bears’ defense also continued to dominate as Drew Radil notched his second pick of the game as the veteran defensive back read the play and pounced.

With the game firmly in hand, the Bears widened their lead to 3-6 when Alejandro Cifuentes hit the 16-point mark with another head-spinning TD jaunt. Down by a bunch, the Jets rallied for a last-minute score as Kyle Arano pulled in a TD catch, followed by Brian Pipher’s two-point reception. But in the end, the Bears prevailed with a 30-14 victory.